Two longtime education advocates were honored Friday night, June 14, for their dedication to civil rights and human relations at MTA’s 2013 Human and Civil Rights Awards Dinner.

The Louise Gaskins Lifetime Civil Rights Award went to Sister Ann Fox for her decades of service to those in need, both locally and around the world. Representing Sister Ann was Eileen DeMichele, executive director of the Paraclete Foundation. Sister Ann was in Rwanda and unable to attend the dinner Friday night.

In 1997, Sister Ann co-founded the Paraclete Foundation in South Boston after she recognized that establishing a “second shift” after-school program would aid poor working families and promote a more educationally rich community. The Paraclete has served low-income youth from more than 1,000 families.

Sister Fox is also the driving force behind the establishment in 2008 of the Maranyundo School for Girls in Nyamata, Rwanda, an area that has struggled to recover from the country’s 1994 genocide. The award is named for Louise Gaskins, a pioneer for the involvement of women and people of color in education, the MTA and the National Education Association.

The Kathleen Roberts Creative Leadership Award was presented to veteran English teacher, novelist and jazz ambassador Mick Carlon. The Barnstable educator was honored for using his passion and knowledge of jazz as a vehicle for teaching students about America’s cultural history. Carlon is the author of two novels for young readers, “Riding on Duke’s Train” and “Travels with Louis,” that draw intimate portraits of jazz greats Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong while teaching students messages about human relations, diversity and the importance of role models.

Longtime MTA member Kathleen Roberts, 98, is the inspiration for the Creative Leadership Award. She and Louise Gaskins were recognized by MTA President Paul Toner.

The dinner, hosted by the MTA Human Relations Committee, was held at the Sheraton Framingham.